THE MOTOR WORLD

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 16 May 1925, Page 13

THE MOTOR WORLD

NOTES BY THE WAY

In a liy-'tnv* case in Christchujrch. recently, a' motorist was clanged with having left a motor-car in a public rtlace without reasonable excuse, it was contended by counsel for dentence: (1) That a motor-car was not a vehicle within the true intent and meaning of sub-section K., and (2) if it was so, that defendant had a reasonable excuse. The complete wording of the subsection a as: Every person js liable to a fine not exceeding £ld, who in or upon any public place leaves any plough, harrow, cart or any other vehicle without reasonable excuse. The magistrate, however, overruled the contention and uned defendant.

The import figures for the month of January and February of the present yea r show a remarkable increase in the number ol English cars which have come into New Zealand. Out of a total of 3270 cars and trucks imported dining that period, no less than 762 were of English manufacture, or very nearly 24 per cent of the total. The proportion of English cars and trucks for the year 1924 was only about 71 per cent, so it will be realise dwhat a remarkable increase the returns for January and February disclose.

A curious case of engine trouble occurred recently to a car passing through a water-splash of sufficient depth to cover the exhaust pipe. Water sucked up the pipe entered one of the cylinders, and, being practically incompressible, caused a broken piston and bent connecting rods.

The annual automobile show at New York in J anuarv last revealed the fact that the low-pressure balloon tyre has been adapted jby the motor-car industry, for more-than 90 per cent, of the cars on view were equipped with this type of tyre, while the former standard high-pressure cord tyre was relegated to the background. Of the 260 complete cars - displayed, only twenty-five were fitted with regular cord tvres, a result which exceeded the highest expectations of the advocates of°the new* type motor tyre.

At Flint, Michigan, a new law has been instituted which, in part, reads: oft shall be unlawful fo r any person to drive an automobile on the streets of Flint while being subjected to the embraces of any other person; it shall be unlawful to embrace the driver.” A successful charge of driving to the common. danger was recently secured in. the North of England against a motorist for a similar procedure.

Ball hearings, for important parts, are often gauged to limits of one tenthousanth part of an inch for error.

So serious has the car parking problem become in Detroit that a proposal has been brought forward to construct a vast underground garage beneath the entire business section of the city The excavation will extend to a depth of 100 feet, giving about ten storeys of underground parking space. The project also includes a - number of subteiranean trunk thoroughfares to insure rapid transportation between distant inter-city points in the most congested portions of the city. INSULT ADDED TO INJURY. With a jolt the car came to a sudden stop in the middle of a busy street. The self-started refused to act, and the driver was forced to dismount and endeavour to crank up the engine with the aid of the starting handle. For five minutes he twirled the handle furiously, while a small crowd collected, and then at length an old lady stepped forward and pressed a penny into the perspiring motorist s hand. , “My good man,” she said gently, “I wish all the barrel organs were as quiet as yours.” ® HELPING MEMBERS IN TROUBLE. The Canterbury Automobile Association’s iatest move to help members is to put a service car on the road in search of stranded motoi'ists. The cai is under the control of Mr. T. H. Torrens, and carries spare parts, petrol and oil, and a two rope, Although it has not been running a week, it has already proved its value. Mr. Torrens is also keeping an eye open for new members winle patrolling the roads in search for members in distress. The service given by* the Christchurch Association is now equal to that of the largest organisations an the world and an increase of membership is sure to result from the innovation. “ONE VAST HOLOCAUST.” MOTOR PERILS IN LONDON. “We have to protect the public. Unless we do'so, the streets of the Metropolis will be one vast holocaust, and will be strewn with the mained and the dead.” Mr. Rooth, the Lambeth Magistrate, made these remarks last, month when sentencing a man to 21 day’s imprisonment for being drunk while driving a motor-car. DIMMING LIGHTS. • MORE COURTESY WANTED. “It is disgraceful that motorists .do not show more courtesy at night,” said a prominent member of the South, land Motor Association in conversation with a Times reporter recently. “When driving back from Monowai the other evening,” he continued, “we passed five or six cars between Riverton and Invercargill, after 6 o’clock when jt was quite dark. Not a car dimmed its lights—they just, .tore past leaving us blinded by the glare.” FENCING ROAD EDGES. A question of some interest to motorists was discussed by the Hawera County Council at their last meeting, when they received a suggestion that fences be built on the edge of roads where there was an awkward turning or a bad bank on either side. -It was considered that many questions were involved in such a. proposal, such as the difficulty with stock when motorists were passing and the liability of local bodies. One councillor rather cynically said that it would be a mistake, and that councils should look at the question from the producer’s point of view which was so often overlooked. The tenosr.-jy was to consider the travelling public all the time, not | ‘‘the man who pays the. piper.” He, added that it was so with the mail trains, the city men and not the fanners were considered. Dealing with the .same question Cr. Hawken recalled a case where years ago a prominent farmer of Manutahi wanted to

put the ri-nce on trie edge of the road. The Patea County Council questioned the wisdom of doing so, and he replied it would be better ior u traveller to run into the lenee than into the guliv. SOME DETAILS. The Automobile Association stated that that Association recently spent a lot of their funds in fencing parts of the Rimutaka Road on the edge of the formation as a safeguard to travellers and that the Public Works Department was doing likewise on the I aekakariki Hill, in consequence of which, he suggested that landowners having frontage on the lower side oi steep sliding roads be invited to put their fences on the edge of the formation, subject to approval of the local bod\ in charge of the road, the local body undertaking to respect such fence when clearing the road of slips or rubbish, and not to count it as an obstruction. The letter stated that to provide for the erection of fences as suggested with security for the public, the local body iind tlio land-owner, und umendme lib Ox - addition to the Counties oi Local Bodies Act would be necessaryThere could he no doubt, the letter continued, hut that. such fences made the roads safer for all kinds of motor traffic, and, as an instance of this, mention is made of a motor-louy a few days ago being saved from destruction, and the driver from severe injury or worse by the wire fence on the R-imutaka Hill. In motoring round sharp bends, especially at night, such a fence showed clearly how sharp the bend was, and helped the driver to keep on the road. i The writer thought that most farmers would move their fences to Such positions, when putting up new fences, or renewing old ones, if properly protected in point of law. FIRST RELIABILITY RACE IN AUSTRALIA. It is just over 20 years since the first motor-car reliability contest was held in Australia. Few of the 200,000 motorists in the Commonwealth to-day have any knowledge of the early pioneer work done at the period with a view to demonstrating the suitability of the automobiles for use on Australian roads and tracks. Away back in 1904 when thbre were few cars in Australia, it tvas recognised that nothing would bring home quicker to Australians the potentialities of the motor-car than a public demonstration under stringent conditions over a long distancerouteembracing rough roads and tracks, and with that object in view, a reliability motor contest was promoted early in 1905, and the rough overland route between Sydney and Melbourne (572 miles') was selected for the test. Great interest was taken throughout Australia in the proposed

contest, tlie first held in the Southern Hemisphere, and the preparations for the trial received considerable publicity throughout the States. The route was divided into 5 sections, to be negotiated on successive days, the test starting from Sydney on Tuesday, February 21, 1905, and concluding at Melbourne on Saturday, 25th. The stages were Sydney-Goulburn (129 miles), Goulburn-Gundagai (121 miles), Enron (101 miles) and Euroa to Melbourne (100 miles), and in those days the going between Gundagai (X’.SAV.) and Seymour (Vic.) was mostly exceedingly rough bush tracks. A particularly fine entry was received, most of the sporty owners of the New South Wales and Victoria nominating, whilst South Australia was also represented. The ears were divided in two classes, under 1200 lbs. in weight and over; horse-power having no bearing on classification of cars. The total time allowed the small cars for the full journey was 414 hours, whilst the larger cars had 364 hours in which to negotiate the rough run between the two capitals. The contest excited great interest en route, settlers, squatters, etc., driving many miles to see the competiting ears pass, whilst in the townships and

tillages along the course, contestants were heartily cheered as they passed. At tithe In nidi and. evening controls the cars were keenly inspected by local residents, for few then realised what the automobile was capable of withstanding. The result of the test was an eye-opener to the Australian public, and the condition o n which 17 out of the 23 cars which started reached, their destination did more to convince the public of the effectiveness of the automobile for Australian use than years of ordinary propaganda. The leading newspapers throughout the States demoted columns of space to the event, they realising even at that early period the potentialities of the automobile in the opening up and development of this vast country. In Melbourne alone, 30,000 spectators witnessed the finish. The ears were locked in control, and to determine the winner a further non. stop engine run was held over a 140 miles course (Melbourne to Ballarat and back). Thus ended the first in-ter-State automobile road test in this country, and even the optimists who* faced the difficulties and trials associated with that pioneer demonstration little realised that 20 years later there would be over a quarter of a million cars and motor-cycles in use on Australian roads. U.S. TRAINS “HIT.” MOTORS COMPETE ON 500-MTLE ROUTES. Motor-bus competition is proving a serious matter for trams and trains in New Zealand, but it is not nearly so formidable a rival in the Dominion as the big United States railroads- are inding it. A recent issue of the New York Evening Post mentions that the Far Vest,- supports along highways (which railroad taxes have helped to build) rstabished bus services between cities in some cases from 400 to 500 miles apart. This, of course (says the Post) is none too good for the railroads serving the territory. The moderate clinate lends itself to the successful operation of the commercial motor-bus, md for this and other reasons relief through lessened competition is viewed as remote.

From the viewpoint of the transcontinental traffic executive the loss of revenue sustained in passenger service this season may not he repeated to as great an extent next year. MOTOR-CYCLING NOTES. BATTLING THROUGH EIGHT STORMS. Road trials seem the order of the motor-cycling day in South Africa. These trials were generally run over a circuit of none too good roads and proye a gruelling test- to both riders and machines. The Rand Motor-cycling Club held such a trial recently to compete for What is known as the Vacuum Vase. The distance of the race was 132 miles and the roads were rough and heavy, with the added difficulty of negotiating many creeks overflowing with swift running flood water. Of the 28 riders entered, 2-1 started and 9 finished. Machines and riders all finished spattered with mud. During the event the riders passed through as many as eight storn'is. One rider rede in high-legged riding hoots which became tilled with water whilst negotiating the Klip River. Spectators gathered round while the rider' lay on his back with his legs in the air draining the water out of his boots, which caused much amusement.

MOTOR-CYCLING. It is estimated that there are now 1500 motor-cycles in the Philippine Islands. There are .still far too many motorcycles on the roads without tail lights. Bicyclists offend in this manner also. The latest statistics show that there are 23,707 motor-cycles in use in Belgium, compared with 39,845 cars and some 20,000 commercial vehicles. A German motor-cycle club is organising a reliability run from Colonge tt> San Francisco. Starting from Colonge, the riders will proceed to a German seaport, thence by steamer to New York, and from there ride overland to San Francisco. It is reported that the production of petrol in November last reached a. record with an average of 25,400,000 gallons daily. Of this vast quantity, no less than 23,200,000 gallons were consumed in the United States itself. This shows an increase of 29 per cent, on the figures for two years ago. January exports of motor-cycles from Britain, were the highest since July 1924. The figures for January of the last three vears are:- — 1923 1924 1925 No. of Machines 941 2336 3578 Value < £48,042 £99,104 £151,027 Value parts £29,260 £52,996 £75,134 An example of poor sportmansliip is shown hy the fact that at the last hill climb at Auckland, a rider crashing into the fence, ripping his trousers among other injuries. A neighbouring resident tendered assistance and lent his bestpair of pants to the unfortunate competitor, but, although weeks have elapsed, no effort has been made to return the borrowed apparel. COLD WEATHER. IN BRITAIN. SNOW PLOUGHS FOR ABERDEEN. The North and Midland parts of Eng. land on March 9 reported severe wintry conditions —snow-choked roads, frozen ponds, and a frost-hound countryside. At Kew, Croydon, South Farnborough, and Lympne an average of 11 deg. of frost was registered. The City of London, with 4 deg. of frost, experienced the coldest night of the year. ' There was a fail of about Sin. of

snow at Aberdeen. Snow-plonglis had to clear the tramway tracks, and hundreds of labourers were employed ,by the Town Council to help the ordinary cleaners staff in rendering the street fit for traffic. In places where cross winds eddied banks of snow were piled several feet high. -Hoads in the uplands of Aberdeenshire were blocked in places, m exposed parts of Deeside commercial travellers journeying by motor-cars were stranded in the glens. Snow fell heavily in North Wales, and the mountain chains of. Snowdown, the Arrans and Plinlimmon were thickly covered. Losses of sheep were reported by the upland farmers. A motor-omnibus got wedged in a snowdrift on Alltgoeh, a steep hill in Merinonethshire, and 12 passengers had to walk to Llanfestiniog to joi n an emergency bus. No fewer than 14deg. of frost were registered at Cranwell, in South Lincolnshire and at Renfrew.

ARE YOU ONE. The driver who leaves the curb or parking place without signalling. The driver who blows bis horn at street crossing, and feels that his duty lias been done towards pedestrians .crossing at that point. The driver who deliberately assumes the right of way when he is wrong or because the other car doesn’t look as good or as large as his. The driver who thinks because he is on the outskirts of the city that he can pass a tram on the right. The driver who forgets the other fellow wnen lie parks ms car in one of the few available places and takes up room enough for two cars. The driver who passes the car ahead at the top of a hill or going around a curve. The driver who thinks his horn is" an ornament, and passes the follow ahead bv speed alone. ‘The driver, who depends upon his brakes in the emergency which often arises at the blind intersection of street or highway. The driver who drives down the middle of the road. The driver who doesn’t drive according to the Golden Rule. The driver who thinks the children are not going to run out int-o the street. • . ' And —the driver who mixes gasoline and alcohol.